Popular brands include Fitbit and Garmin. Many come as watches or bands that go around your wrist, but there are models that can be clipped to a waistband or tucked in your pocket, too. Wearable fitness trackers, while not necessary, can be an easy way to monitor your walking pace, distance, and more. “The best speed for you is one that corresponds to your fitness level,” says Dr. Remember, there’s no magic walking speed. If you really want to ramp your walking up, set a goal to not be able to say more than a few words without needing to take an extra breath. In general, moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking allows you to talk but not sing. Since it doesn’t rely on data or measurements such as walking speed, it’s a good way to get personalized information about how hard you’re working. This is a very simple way to measure how intense your workout is for you. A fitness tracker can help you keep track of your steps. Other factors, like height, which affects the length of your stride, could mean you should shoot for slightly higher or lower. Just remember to take this number in stride. This means that if you walk for 20 minutes you want to shoot for taking about 2,000 steps in that time. Research suggests that taking about 100 steps per minute - the equivalent of about 2.7 miles per hour - is enough to get brisk walking health and fitness benefits. Count your pulse for 30 seconds and multiply by two. You can use either a wearable tracker or a manual method by pressing the tips of your index and middle fingers (not your thumb) lightly over the artery on the inside (thumb side) of your wrist. Periodically check your heart rate during your walk. You can reference the American Heart Association’s Maximum and Target Heart Rate by Age chart to help you figure this out. Your target heart rate during a moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking should be about 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate (or 85-119 beats per minute for a 50 year old). That means if you’re 50 years old, your max heart rate is approximately 170 beats per minute. Start by calculating your maximum heart rate, which is about 220 minus your age. Knowing your heart rate, or pulse, during exercise is an effective way to measure how hard your heart is working. There are other ways to track and monitor your walking speed no matter where you’re walking.Ĭheck your target heart rate. Walking on a treadmill or using a smartwatch can be easy ways to track your walking pace, but you don’t have to rely on technology to achieve a brisk walk. “But you don’t want to be so winded that you can’t get more than a few words out.” How Fast Is a Brisk Walk? Not sure what moderate intensity feels like? It means if you’re walking with a friend, you can still talk to them, but you’ll have to pause every sentence or two to get an extra breath in, says Dr. The most important thing is that the pace feels like it’s a moderate intensity for you. For some, that may mean walking at a pace of 4 to 4.5 miles per hour, or the equivalent of a 13- to 15-minute mile, but the exact speed doesn’t really matter. Read on to learn how.īrisk walking means walking at a pretty good clip, though this looks different for everyone. If you’re hesitant to pick up the pace of your walks, maybe because of joint pain or mobility issues, know that there are many ways you can gradually increase your walking speed so you can get the health benefits while giving your body a chance to adapt to a new pace. Not every walk has to elevate your heart rate, but if you want to take your walking routine to another level, making some of your walks more intense and aerobic in nature is a good way to do so. People who walk at a brisk pace for about thirty minutes a day have a significantly reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death compared to their slower moving peers, according to two 2022 studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Neurology.Īlthough there are lots of reasons to pick up the pace of your normal stroll, short movement snacks throughout the day are still just as important for stress management, relieving joint stiffness and muscle tension, and so much more. While any type of walking is good for you, walking at a brisk pace may bring more health benefits. A 2022 study published in the journal Communications Biology found that people who regularly walked at a pace of at least three miles per hour (the equivalent of a 20-minute mile) had healthier telomeres, the tail ends of our DNA that help prevent aging. In fact, new research even suggests that brisk walking can shave years off your biological age. Can you really walk your way to good health? Yes, you can! “Walking is one of the simplest physical activities around, but it carries so many health benefits,” says Heather Broach, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health.
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